Research Laboratory

The background.

The U.S. government operates a laboratory supporting biotechnology, energy and materials research, and conservation and renewable energy. The laboratory consists of multiple campuses and sites spread out over a nearly thousand-square mile area.

“Cyber security is top priority”.

The spectrum manager/wireless engineer at the laboratory is responsible for wireless communications and networking, including land mobile radios, paging, cell phones, in-building amplifiers, etc. Government regulations prohibit vendors from getting behind government firewalls because of security reasons and threats of viruses and trojans. This made it almost impossible for visitors to use the 50" monitor for presentations at the laboratory’s network operations center (NOC). The manager wanted to make it easier for vendors to make video presentations without tapping into the laboratory’s network.

”Cyber security is top priority,” according to the manager. The manager started looking for a solution. He found an older video device from another vendor at the office. He tried it, but it wasn’t really what he wanted. So he began researching systems from multiple vendors, including Black Box. Having bought KVM switches, modems, and other “boxes” from Black Box in the past, the manager was familiar with the Company. After reviewing different products, he chose the Black Box VGA Wireless Video Presentation System (VPS) (AC1130A).
One system, multiple uses.

The manager chose the Black Box Wireless VPS because it gives him password protection and WEP encryption, a conference administrator control function, the ability to support multiple hosts, and ease of use.

Black Box’s tech support and quality of merchandise are some of the best in the industry.

Spectrum Manager/Wireless Engineer

Government Research Laboratory

Vendor presentations.

The manager uses the VPS to set up a “Webinar-type” system. He has multiple vendors come in and do their presentations one after the other. Vendors like the VPS system because they can now make presentations on the big screen. The manager likes it because it keeps the laboratory’s network off limits and secure. And, as the conference administrator, he has control over who can present and when. Vendors never have control of the system or access to the network.

Videoconferencing.

The manager also found the system was the ideal solution for videoconferencing with another laboratory site 50 miles away. When vendors come in, they can now show the presentations for both sites at one time. “This saves me an hour drive each way,” he said.
In-house meetings.

The manager discovered a third use for the system. ”It’s great for meetings. Instead of having five or six people crowd around my laptop, I hook it up to the system. It’s very good for planning systems and studying detailed map images on the big screen.”